Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers game preview

The last time the Houston Rockets won more than three games in a row, it was 2021 and the young squad was about to embark on an eight-game homestand. At 1-16, the season was long over and everyone was looking to the draft, where Houston owned its first round pick outright and a young wing player at Auburn was starting to show flashes of lottery potential.

The schedule broke fairly well over that run of games, but even the staunchest homers of us didn’t expect Houston to rattle off seven straight wins. Houston was eventually defeated in their final game of that homestand by the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks, but the Rockets even led that game by eight points early in the fourth quarter.

Nothing during the streak made sense. Jalen Green was injured, and Kevin Porter Jr. got hurt during it. And yet, it didn’t slow the Rockets. Garrison Mathews (Gary Bird, if you prefer), Armoni Brooks, Kenyon Martin Jr., and Josh Christopher were contributing. Daniel Theis was starting. Christian Wood was the focal point of the offense. Alperen Sengun was coming off the bench.

Most of those players aren’t on the team anymore, obviously. And Sengun most certainly is not coming off the bench.

Anyway, tonight the vaunted Los Angeles Lakers will grace Toyota Center with their presence. LeBron James is in his 385th season (all stats approximate) and still dominating. Anthony Davis is dealing with a groin injury but said he would be available when asked Monday night. His absence would mean more minutes for...Christian Wood, who’s now a Laker. LA is coming off a close loss in Miami on Monday night. Every team in the Association got Tuesday off (for Election Day), but the Rockets will have the advantage of having been at home during that time. I wonder if the Lakers stayed in South Beach...

Oh, and Dillon Brooks has a recent history with the Lakers in general, and LeBron in particular. Expect LeBron to post the first-ever quintuple double or do a 720 between-the-legs dunk or something ridiculous. Plus, the Lakers just complained to the league about LeBron’s lack of free throws. So it’s a guarantee that the officials will overcorrect tonight. Maybe Scott Foster can return to his old stomping grounds to ensure the right team wins. Tony Brothers could make a guest appearance. We’ll see.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How to Watch

Space City Home Network

Injuries

Houston

Tari Eason-GTD (leg)

Amen Thompson-OUT (ankle)

Lakers

Anthony Davis-DTD (groin)

Jaxson Hayes-DTD (ankle)

Rui Hachimura-DTD (concussion)

Jalen Hood-Schifino-OUT (knee)

Looking ahead because we can

Friday at home against the New Orleans Pelicans